The Englishman needs a good end to the campaign to secure football’s biggest individual prize, even after his good start in Spain.
In October, when Lionel Messi collected the eighth Ballon d’Or of his illustrious career, there was a feeling that the 2024 winner was already known. Jude Bellingham had spent his first three months at Real Madrid breaking the club’s record books, with some of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo’s early numbers already eclipsed.
There was a school of thought (and a genuine belief that went with it) that Bellingham could score 40 goals in his debut campaign in Madrid. And even if he didn’t reach that mark, the caliber of his performances was something to behold.
He forced his way past defenders at the Diego Maradona stadium to beat Napoli. He scored two goals to beat Barcelona in his first Clásico. Girona, Union Berlin and others were defeated only on the strength of Bellingham’s virtuous demonstrations.
Article continues below
Since then, however, things have slowed down quite a bit for the English midfielder. Goals are becoming less frequent, while injuries and suspensions have affected what looked like it was going to be a record-breaking campaign.
Still, Bellingham remains the favorite to win football’s biggest individual prize and now has the chance to reaffirm that status. The coming months will be the definitive test of its quality, with Euro 2024 just around the corner.
But first he will have to prove his worth by leading Madrid past tournament favorite Manchester City in the Champions League.